Among the most valuable resources for charities: your time and energy

Whether inspired by those in need during the pandemic, or just a way to get out of your house more, the gift of time can be invaluable

Staring at the same four walls day in and out was the push Pickering-based mom Stephanie Mendes needed to start volunteering.

It was the height of lockdowns in Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic when Mendes caught a news segment about volunteers with GlobalMedic — a Toronto-based international humanitarian relief organization — who were helping run mass vaccination clinics. The clip resonated with her: Mendes needed a change of scenery and there were people who needed help.

Without hesitation, she contacted the organization and offered to volunteer. She also recruited her daughter, now 13, and soon the mother-child duo started working regular shifts together.

“I want to instill within (my daughter) a sense of responsibility to give back to the community,” said Mendes, who regularly enlists other family members and friends to help. “Seeing so many people losing their jobs or having to go to work, not having the option to work from home, being exposed to the virus or spreading the virus, I knew I wanted to help.”

Since her early shifts packing food and emergency kits and assisting with crowd control at vaccination clinics, Mendes has never looked back. Currently, most Saturdays she can be found on-site volunteering as a shift supervisor.

GlobalMedic’s priorities change depending on global needs. One week, volunteers might be packing sanitation kits stocked with toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap, and the next putting together family food boxes containing peas, wheat, barley and rice to send to families in Ukraine.

“Donating money is easy if you have it, but a lot of these organizations cannot survive without volunteers,” said Mendes. “If people can take a couple of hours a week or month just to come out and help, why not?

“I want to give back, so that’s what I’m going to do,” she said. “I’ve met so many people from so many different walks of life. It has humbled me for sure. It has made me appreciate even more what I have. Volunteering has opened my eyes.”

To learn more, visit globalmedic.ca